A Healthcare Alliance's New Voice on the Federal HIT Standards Committee

Keith Figlioli of the Premier healthcare alliance shares his perspectives on his involvement with the HIT Standards Committee, and his shifting perspectives on healthcare IT’s evolution

Earlier this month, Keith Figlioli, senior vice president of healthcare informatics for the Charlotte-based Premier healthcare alliance, was named a new member of the federal HIT Standards Committee, one of the committees charged with supporting health IT automation progress by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). On March 1, Figlioli became one of 15 new or continuing members of the committee, whose membership includes distinguished representatives from the hospital, medical group, pharmaceutical, policy, and consulting spheres. The appointment of Figlioli and the other new and continuing members to the committee was announced by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a press release. In a statement included in the press release, Farzad Mostashari, M.D., National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said, “The role the Policy and Standards Committees play in helping guide the nation’s health IT policy is immeasurable. HHS relies on their input and guidance because of each member’s broad and diverse perspectives that have been informed by their real-world experience.”

Figlioli spoke recently with HCI Editor-in-Chief Mark Hagland regarding his appointment to the HIT Standards Committee and his perspectives on the progress of the meaningful use process under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act more broadly. Below are excerpts from that interview.

What was the process around your appointment to the HIT Standards Committee? Did you submit your name to ONC, or did they solicit your participation?

A little bit of both was involved. They do have a solicitation process, but overall, the process involved a little bit of both. But I obviously had an EHR [electronic health record] background—I used to be at Eclipsys, before Premier [Figlioli served in several different positions at the Atlanta-based Eclipsys Corporation, now a part of the Chicago-based Allscripts, from March 2003 through August 2009, ultimately as senior vice president, enterprise solutions, at Eclipsys, from February 2009-August 2009], and saw firsthand what was taking place from a vendor standpoint, and also, per my position at Premier, we touch pretty much interact with 40 percent of the healthcare market nationwide. So the fit seemed a good one.

Keith Figlioli

What was your reaction to the news of the appointment?

It’s quite an honor, obviously, and I’m very personally excited. And one of the buzz factors that came out of HIMSS13 is that we’re about to enter the post-EHR phase, and the government is realizing that, too—and if you look at the people who have been added, how we end up shaping regs and meaningful use, etc., will obviously be determinative in what goes on going forward in the industry.

What will be your goal in serving on the committee?

To represent Premier and our members. We touch 40 percent of the healthcare market, and I’m popping in and out of the executive suites of these member organizations who are advocating every day; so my hope is to bring the broader alliance lens to this, beyond the provider-to-provider mindset. This gives it more of a national point of view, rather than just one region’s or provider’s lens. And that’s my goal; I’ve got a duty to the organization.